Jane Jacobs hypothetical interview on the 15-minute city.
By Jon Glasco and ChatGPT. If Jane Jacobs was alive today and actively engaging with the smart city community, her sharp critique of urban planning trends would likely provide a fresh and insightful perspective on today’s transportation challenges and opportunities. Here’s how she might address some of the major issues in a...
Smart Moves: Montpellier’s Strategy for Sustainable Urban Transport
By Jon Glasco. Montpellier, one of France’s fastest-growing cities and host of one of Europe’s largest pedestrian areas, is setting the standard for urban mobility solutions. In response to rising public transit demand and the urgent need to reduce emissions and traffic congestion, Montpellier launched ambitious initiatives...
Daniel Susskind. A World Without Work
From a refreshing trip to Scotland this summer I brought back, among other things, a visit to two great bookshops: the indescribable Leakey in the northern city of Inverness and the Topping & Company bookshop in Edinburgh. Consequence: a good handful of books in the suitcase as a pastime and intellectual fuel with which to …...
Why smart cities need pre-disaster recovery plans
By Jon Glasco. In 2023, the deadliest wildfire in the U.S. in more than a century devastated Lahaina, a small town on the island of Maui in Hawaii. It started when a grass fire was ignited after high winds snapped a power line. Although the initial fire was reported as “contained” by firefighters, the flames …...
After the Storm: A Winding Road to Disaster Recovery
By Jon Glasco. Considering the frequency of disasters and the scale of human suffering and economic loss, the urgency of effective disaster recovery becomes apparent. The world witnessed, on average, a disaster a day in 2023, causing more than 86,000 fatalities and $203 billion in damages while disrupting the lives of 93 million people,...
Spatial entropy to design the 15 minute city
The concept of Spatial Entropy casts some light into the relationship between urban design and thermodinamycs, something that has been intriguing me for some time. Basically, what I realized was that cities, as any other set of matter in our Universe, should obbey the 2nd Law of Thermodinamics. I had a thread there I could …...
Beyond the Metropolis: Recognizing the Value of a Smart Rural Europe, by Jon Glasco
The development of Smart European Cities needs to happen in parallel to a Smart Rural Europe agenda. An estimated 70% of Europe’s land area is used for agriculture or covered by forestry. “The vital role of agricultural and rural development deeply affects the economic, social and environmental aspects of every EU member state.”...
Making the most of data: supporting data stewardship in local ecosystems
On Tuesday, 23rd May 2023, I chair the webinar “Making the most of data: supporting data stewardship in local ecosystems” at Eurocities. This session is part of the activity of the Data Working Group withing Eurocities’ Digital Forum . Data stewardship is a figure recognized by the European Data Governance Act and the...
Digitizing Government Ecosystems. De Klik Met De Burger. March, 28th 2023. Mechelen (Belgium)
On March, 28th 2023 I was invited as a keynote speaker at the De Klik Met De Burger event in Mechelen (Belgium) to speak about Digitizing Government Ecosystems. I was also able to present the work we’ve done during the last 15 years to position Zaragoza as one of Europe’s most innovative & sustainable cities. …...
Small Communities, Big Ideas: The Evolution of Three Smart Villages, by Jon Glasco
Megacities like Paris, London and New York capture smart city headlines in recent years, mainly because they are centers of economic, technological and innovative power. While small communities and smart villages in peripheral areas receive less attention, they offer value through innovation in biodiversity, climate resilience,...
